Doncaster St in Corrimal is the type of leafy neighbourhood where everybody knows if something is even slightly out of the ordinary.So for the past few days, chatter had been circulating about 31-year-old Katie Foreman after the promising young solicitor expressed fears about a possible prowler near her home.Neighbourhood gossip gave way to grief yesterday morning when residents woke to a crash, the sound of a man and woman laughing and the sight of flames leaping from the top floor of Ms Foreman's home.Ms Foreman never made it out of the blaze and a once peaceful suburban street is now engulfed in fear and sadness.VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE FIRE: The two-storey brick and weatherboard home remained a crime scene last night, sealed off as forensic investigators continued the search for answers into how and why Ms Foreman died.As they carried out the grim task, friends and relatives visited the scene, visibly distraught.Three female family members arrived mid-morning and wandered the street for several minutes in a state of shock before talking to police.The women left when a vehicle arrived to take Ms Foreman's body at 10.45am.Detectives, with a specially trained sniffer dog, spent the rest of the day and most of the night removing at least five evidence bags.Detectives were also handed a video of the fire captured by neighbours who were woken by a loud noise and the sound of a man and woman laughing at 2.30am."They got into a car, slammed the door and took off down the street and then we saw [Ms Foreman's] house was on fire," said one resident, who did not wish to be named."Those two who were laughing must have seen the fire, they must have."And if they did see it, why would you laugh about something like that and just drive away?"Neighbours raced to the front of Ms Foreman's house, where they found the top floor engulfed in flames, the front door wide open and Ms Foreman's silver Commodore sedan still parked in the driveway.Fire and Rescue NSW arrived and extinguished the blaze and during a search with Wollongong Police, found Ms Foreman's body, which was believed to have been in the bedroom.Ms Foreman was regarded in the legal fraternity as a very competent criminal lawyer and family law specialist with a bright future. She graduated from the University of Wollongong in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.POST YOUR TRIBUTES TO KATIE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOWShe spent time working for Legal Aid NSW out of its Wollongong office, also spent time at private practices in Wollongong and Nowra and opened her own business in Wollongong's CBD early this year.The city's legal fraternity was devastated by her death, said Wollongong and District Law Society president Helen Volk."Katie was a beautiful person and a very competent lawyer," she said. "She practised in very hard areas - in children's court and in family and criminal law - areas that really touch directly on people's lives in a way that not everyone's practice does."She was a very private person but really well regarded, so it's a very sad day for all of us. We've lost a beautiful colleague."Wollongong Local Area Command crime manager Detective Inspector Tim Beattie said it was too early to speculate about the cause of the fire, saying the body would not be formally identified until today.When asked about suspicious activity in the street, Insp Beattie said police were following a number of lines of inquiry."We're not discounting anything at the moment and we just appeal to members of the public to come forward with any information that can assist our investigation," he said."It's an investigation that is leaving no stone unturned and as it should be, because our job is to investigate the facts and to do that we need the assistance of the public."I know investigators have already spoken to a number of people in the street but if there is someone in that area that isn't known to police, make yourself known to us and tell us what you've seen, heard or may know about this investigation."Another neighbour, who also did not wish to be named, said residents were shaken by the fire.The neighbourhood is home to many family abodes and the Corrimal Early Learning Centre, a day-care facility, is located directly opposite the crime scene."It's a quiet street - you don't expect anything like this to happen near you," the neighbour said."Of course it makes you worry - the whole thing is awful."Anybody with information should call Wollongong Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Doncaster St in Corrimal is the type of leafy neighbourhood where everybody knows if something is even slightly out of the ordinary.So for the past few days, chatter had been circulating about 31-year-old Katie Foreman after the promising young solicitor expressed fears about a possible prowler near her home.Neighbourhood gossip gave way to grief yesterday morning when residents woke to a crash, the sound of a man and woman laughing and the sight of flames leaping from the top floor of Ms Foreman's home.Ms Foreman never made it out of the blaze and a once peaceful suburban street is now engulfed in fear and sadness.VIDEO FOOTAGE OF THE FIRE: The two-storey brick and weatherboard home remained a crime scene last night, sealed off as forensic investigators continued the search for answers into how and why Ms Foreman died.As they carried out the grim task, friends and relatives visited the scene, visibly distraught.Three female family members arrived mid-morning and wandered the street for several minutes in a state of shock before talking to police.The women left when a vehicle arrived to take Ms Foreman's body at 10.45am.Detectives, with a specially trained sniffer dog, spent the rest of the day and most of the night removing at least five evidence bags.Detectives were also handed a video of the fire captured by neighbours who were woken by a loud noise and the sound of a man and woman laughing at 2.30am."They got into a car, slammed the door and took off down the street and then we saw [Ms Foreman's] house was on fire," said one resident, who did not wish to be named."Those two who were laughing must have seen the fire, they must have."And if they did see it, why would you laugh about something like that and just drive away?"Neighbours raced to the front of Ms Foreman's house, where they found the top floor engulfed in flames, the front door wide open and Ms Foreman's silver Commodore sedan still parked in the driveway.Fire and Rescue NSW arrived and extinguished the blaze and during a search with Wollongong Police, found Ms Foreman's body, which was believed to have been in the bedroom.Ms Foreman was regarded in the legal fraternity as a very competent criminal lawyer and family law specialist with a bright future. She graduated from the University of Wollongong in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice.

POST YOUR TRIBUTES TO KATIE IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOWShe spent time working for Legal Aid NSW out of its Wollongong office, also spent time at private practices in Wollongong and Nowra and opened her own business in Wollongong's CBD early this year.The city's legal fraternity was devastated by her death, said Wollongong and District Law Society president Helen Volk."Katie was a beautiful person and a very competent lawyer," she said. "She practised in very hard areas - in children's court and in family and criminal law - areas that really touch directly on people's lives in a way that not everyone's practice does."She was a very private person but really well regarded, so it's a very sad day for all of us. We've lost a beautiful colleague."Wollongong Local Area Command crime manager Detective Inspector Tim Beattie said it was too early to speculate about the cause of the fire, saying the body would not be formally identified until today.When asked about suspicious activity in the street, Insp Beattie said police were following a number of lines of inquiry."We're not discounting anything at the moment and we just appeal to members of the public to come forward with any information that can assist our investigation," he said."It's an investigation that is leaving no stone unturned and as it should be, because our job is to investigate the facts and to do that we need the assistance of the public."I know investigators have already spoken to a number of people in the street but if there is someone in that area that isn't known to police, make yourself known to us and tell us what you've seen, heard or may know about this investigation."Another neighbour, who also did not wish to be named, said residents were shaken by the fire.The neighbourhood is home to many family abodes and the Corrimal Early Learning Centre, a day-care facility, is located directly opposite the crime scene."It's a quiet street - you don't expect anything like this to happen near you," the neighbour said."Of course it makes you worry - the whole thing is awful."Anybody with information should call Wollongong Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.